Spicy Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

From the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis

Introduction

Green beans are a seasonal vegetable in most of the United States. They can be found year round, but the quality is not worth the price. Frozen green beans are a better choice when good quality fresh ones are not available. Look for a medium-dark green color without big beans showing through the skin. The thinner they are, the more tender they will be. When buying frozen beans, buy cut green beans, not French cut, which become mushy and overcooked very quickly.

Ingredients

Steps

Basic Preparation

1. When using fresh beans, cut off the stem ends, wash, and drain in a colander. Beans can be cooked whole or cut in half or thirds, depending on the length. Sometimes when you cut the stem end a “string” will come with it from along the seam. Pull it out, but not all green beans have strings. (Guess where the name “string beans” came from?) Green beans are delicious steamed or boiled, served with butter and seasoning. If you are more adventuresome, we offer a green bean stew made with tomatoes.

Spicy Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and sauté until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, mint, and sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook, covered, until beans are tender but still crisp, about ½ hour. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Notes

• If you have vine-ripened fresh tomatoes, use 1 pound, peeled, seeded, and diced. Otherwise, canned are much better than off-season tomatoes, which have no taste and are not juicy.
• Add 1/2 pound small red potatoes, unpeeled, with the green beans for a tasty one-dish accompaniment to meat or fish.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis.